Four Ways Friday #72 - Chipboard

For this week's Four Ways Friday I wanted to share four different ways you can use chipboard in your papercrafting projects!  I hope you find some inspiration in these ideas!

For this first project I incorporated stamping and stenciling on chipboard.  I cut the chipboard using the Circles #2 die in the Big Shot and then used a paper cutter to cut off one piece of the circle.  The tag was sprayed, sponged and stenciled.  Next I sprayed the chipboard with a mixture of alcohol and champagne shimmer mist paint (I keep the mixture in a small spray bottle).  It is difficult to see in the photo, but this chipboard is really sparkly!  Next I stamped the chipboard with the sentiment from Sincere Salutations and Staz-On ink.  The final touch was to add some stenciling to the chipboard using some sequin waste and gold acrylic paint.  The chipboard was then adhered to the tag using glue.  Of course, I had to add a painted transparency bird :)

Did you know you can use your embossing folders with chipboard????  It works great and creates all kinds of possibilities for your chipboard!  Here I cut a triangle from the chipboard and then ran it through the Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty embossing folder.  I then rubbed the embossed chipboard against the Cherry Cobbler ink pad and did a touch of sponging as well.  Next I added a bit of champagne shimmer mist paint with my finger and a touch of gold smooch ink to the raised dots.  Here is a close up:

I then adhered the chipboard and a trunk made from card stock to the Wild Wasabi card base using glue.  The banner was created with a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped with Early Espresso ink and the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  I curled the banner with my bone folder and then adhered it using 2 glue dots at the ends.  The adhesive rhinestones were added for a touch of bling :)

Chipboard is great to use for making signs!!!  Here I used a combination of mat board (my Aunt owns a framing gallery and had given me some leftover pieces of mat board to play with) and chipboard to create the sign itself.  The mat board was glued to two layers of chipboard to give the sign additional thickness.  I outlined the edges with a gold leaf marker.  Next I drilled a few holes into the chipboard (gotta love using power tools on your paper crafting projects!).  I then attached the silverware to the sign with some thin wire.  The letters were die cut from chipboard using the Serif Essentials dies and the Big Shot.  I then sponged the letters with a combination of Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso ink.  I sponged them about 3 times to create the dark brown color (chipboard likes to soak up ink and as it dried the color tends to get a bit lighter).  I adhered the letters to the sign with glue.

Chipboard also makes a wonderful base for the faux metal technique using your embossing powders!  Here I cut a circle from the chipboard using the Circles #2 die and the Big Shot.  Next I inked up the chipboard with VersaMark ink and then covered it with silver embossing powder.  I heat embossed with my heat tool.  I repeated the VersaMark, embossing powder and heating until I had four layers of melted embossing powder on the chipboard.  Immediately after melting the last layer, I pressed the snowflake stamp from Sweet Season into the hot embossing powder.  I pushed it down for a few seconds and then pulled it up and the image was embossed into the powder - magic!!!!  Here is a close up:

I added an adhesive rhinestone to the center.  Next I used the modern label punch to punch out a small piece of brushed silver card stock.  I adhered this piece to the chipboard ornament with glue and then adhered the entire ornament to the Whisper White card base with glue.  A small bow of gold elastic was added to the top of the ornament with glue and the greeting from Short & Sweet was stamped with Jet Black Staz-On.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday and I hope it inspires you to look at your chipboard in new and interesting ways!!!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful, peaceful and creative weekend!!!!!!!

Framed Transparency Very Veggie Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Never Say Never!!!!

I am still in a bit of disbelief as I write this!  Today I was sitting in Michael's office - on Buddy's bed (Buddy has beds all over the house...totally spoiled :)  Anyway, I was sitting there talking to Michael and Buddy came in and plopped down on his bed.  Then Willow came sauntering into the room and she seemed to want some attention.  So I patted Buddy's bed - the part right beside me...and...she actually got on his bed...with him there!!!!!!  Now this may not seem miraculous to you, but these two house-sharers have never done this!!!!  When we got Buddy we already had Willow and it took her awhile to accept that he was now in HER house!  He learned very quickly that if they both ended up on the stairs at the same time he would be smart to look the other way as she passed so as to appear invisible to her! :)  Over time they seemed to warm up a little to one another (it's been over 6 years) - to a point where they could now pass each other in a hallway and steal a glance or a sniff.  But today was a day I never thought I would see!  Wanna see?

Pretty amazing, huh?! :)  Today I learned to never say never :)
Today's card is a continuation of my transparency/window sheet journey.  I have really been enjoying combining ink, paint and transparencies.  I started out with a piece of transparency and stamped the artichoke from the Very Veggie (retired) stamp set using Staz-On ink.  I then turned it over and painted the back with acrylic paints.  Next I cut a "mat" out of Bravo Burgundy card stock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.  I then added a bit of champagne shimmer mist paint on the "mat" with my finger.  The transparency was then glued to the back of the mat using glue.  The Crumb Cake card base was stamped with a few words from Fabulous Phrases as well as a leaf image from Very Veggie using Early Espresso ink at half strength.  The framed artichoke was then mounted onto the card with dimensionals (I was careful to not stamp behind the artichoke on the card, but am now thinking that could have looked really interesting as well).  Finally, I added a vintage mother of pearl button with a glue dot.  I hope you like it!

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Creating A Shaker Card With Transparencies/Window Sheets: A Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  One Thing Leads To Another!

Do you remember The Fixx????  Back in the 80's they had a hit song called One Thing Leads To Another (of course I am now to blame for you having that song running through your head for the next 24 hours!).  Anyway, today I realized, yet again, that one thing does lead to another!  As you have noticed, I've begun playing around with window sheets/transparencies and how to incorporate them into paper crafting.  I began by simply stamping on them with Staz-On and that led me to stamping on them and then painting on them with acrylic paint.  Well today the stars aligned and the thought occurred to me to combine them in multiple layers and fill the spaces in between with fun things like glitter and dazzling diamonds!  What fun I had in the craft room today!!!!!  Here is a video to show you how I made this shaker card.  I hope it inspires you to give it a try...and maybe that will lead you to another thing...and another...and another!!!!! :)

On Your Birthday Gift Tag

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What If We Just Sit?

Have you ever watched little sandpiper bird foraging on the beach?  They skiddadle this way and that - bobbing their heads up and down, searching for food.  That's the way I've been feeling in the craft room this morning (I'm writing this post at 12:30 pm on Monday).  I sit down to create and next thing I know I've jumped up from my chair and I'm skiddadling into the kitchen to find something to munch on.  Or I'm skiddadling to my computer to check email - bobbing my head up and down - searching for something - although I'm not quite sure what.  So I'm wondering...what if I just sat?  What if, when I don't know what project I want to start next - or I don't know what next step to take on the piece I am working on - I just sat and waited 'til my next move or thought arrived?  My uncle, who is a sculptor, shared with me that he gave himself a 30-day challenge awhile back - to create a single piece of sculpture every day.  He would awake every morning, do some yoga, eat some breakfast, and then make his way into his art room.  Some days he would have a thought in his head about where to begin.  Other days, not a clue.  Either way, he would show up in his art space and commit himself to being there.  If not ideas were waiting for him, he would just sit...maybe handling some of his materials or staring around at his supplies - until inspiration or his creative muse took over.  Some days the wait was longer than others.  No offense to the sandpiper intended, but maybe I need to just sit and not skiddadle...I wonder what I would find if I did...
Today's tag began with a vintage manilla tag.  I sprayed the tag with mixtures of ink and water that I placed in small spray bottles.  I used a piece of hardware tape as a mask while spraying to create the grid-like pattern.

 I then sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso ink.  Next I stamped the dotted image from Extreme Elements with Early Espresso and the star from Varsity Numbers with Riding Hood Red ink.  The birthday greetings from On Your Birthday were stamped with Early Espresso.  Finally, I cut a few pieces of cheesecloth and sprayed them with ink, let them dry, and then tied them onto the tag.  Tags are a great way to add a wonderful personal touch to your gifts!  I hope you like it!

Adding Backgrounds To Your Transparencies or Window Sheets: A Video!!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The Time Will Come When The Book Is Exactly What You Need!

Have you ever tried to read a book and just couldn't get into it?  This has happened to me numerous times and I always feel badly, especially when the book is one that someone has recommended to me.  Years ago someone mentioned that I needed to read Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.  I tried to read it - really I did.  I picked it up on numerous occasions and just couldn't get into it.  Finally, I decided to try to sell it on an on-line marketplace, but there were so many other copies available that even my 99 cent price didn't attract any buyers.  Well, the book has stayed with me for years - literally, years.  And then, last week, the book came up in conversation again.  So last night, I found the book on one of my bookshelves and brushed the dust off the cover and began to read.  WOW!!!!  I am hooked!!!!!  Something in the first 10 pages has already grabbed me - in a BIG way!!!!!  This is a book that was destined to find me when the time was right for me - and that time is now.  So if you are having trouble getting into a book that someone has recommended to you, don't worry!  Sometimes you just have to wait for the time to come when the book will be exactly right for you!!!!!
The last video I shared with you was on how to stamp and paint on your window sheets/transparencies.  Today I'd like to add to that experience by showing you how to add a beautiful background to the transparency.  Enjoy!!!!